


At the Birth

by ericsonclan



Series: Ericson's Diner AU [34]
Category: The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: Childbirth, F/F, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-17
Updated: 2020-07-17
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:28:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25325419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ericsonclan/pseuds/ericsonclan
Summary: Aasim rushes to the hospital to be there in time for the birth of his first child.
Relationships: Aasim/Ruby (Walking Dead: Done Running), Brody/Mitch (Walking Dead: Done Running), Clementine/Louis (Walking Dead: Done Running), Prisha/Violet (Walking Dead: Done Running)
Series: Ericson's Diner AU [34]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1688374
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	At the Birth

**Author's Note:**

> (by Laura)

Aasim’s lungs were burning as he sprinted down the hallway. He couldn’t believe this. His wife was in the midst of giving birth to their first child and he was missing it. How had he talked himself into taking a business trip out of town two weeks before the due date? Those things were never accurate! Aasim’s eyes scanned the signs on the walls, trying to remember what floor the maternity wing was on. Right, the third floor! Pressing the elevator button frantically, Aasim waited impatiently for the elevators to arrive. After 15 seconds and no elevator he decided to take the stairs again, jumping them two at a time. He had to get to Ruby!

Brody had called him in a panic just a few hours ago. She and Ruby had been shopping for baby clothes when out of nowhere Ruby’s water broke. Out of nowhere for Brody, but likely not for Ruby, Aasim thought with annoyance. She’d experienced contractions in the last few weeks but written them all off as Braxton Hicks. Knowing her, she’d probably refused the epidural thinking she’d give birth through sheer willpower and now the window was gone and it was too late to take them. She was in pain and all alone in there and-

Aasim missed a step, collapsing just before he reached the top of that flight of stairs. Cursing under his breath, he popped back up, gripping the stairwell to give him leverage as he rushed up the last of the stairs. Bursting through the door, he saw some of his friends waiting in the third-floor lobby. Louis and Clementine were sitting together chatting. Louis held onto a bouquet of balloons and Clementine had several stuffed animals in her arms. Prisha and Violet stood behind them while Mitch was over by the vending machine angrily pounding on the glass. All eyes turned to Aasim as he barreled into the room.

Louis immediately jumped to his feet, handing the balloons off to Prisha. “Aasim, you made it! Brody just came out with an update a few minutes ago. She said everything’s going fine but there’s still a long way to go so you haven’t missed much,”

“Brody’s in there?” Aasim asked in confusion.

“Yeah, she said she panicked when they were taking Ruby inside and told the nurses she’s Ruby’s sister. So don’t let that slip,” Louis lifted a finger to his lips and winked playfully.

Clementine, noticing Aasim’s distress, handed the stuffed animals to Violet and stood up, coming over to place a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, just take a second, Aasim. Breathe. You don’t want Ruby to be worried about you when you come in,”

“You’re right,” Aasim took in a shaky breath, letting out a long exhale. “When I got that call from Brody I jumped right in my rental car and drove straight back. I didn’t even call to cancel my meeting today. Shit,”

“I’ll take care of that,” Louis offered, reaching out his hand. “Just tell me who I’ve got to text and I’ll sort it all out,”

“Thank you,” Aasim handed over his phone, his hand trembling slightly. Louis and Clementine gently guided him over to one of the seats they’d just vacated.

Prisha looked at him with concern. “Did you run all the way from the parking lot?”

“Had to make sure I got here in time. Couldn’t miss the birth,” Aasim managed before his head fell between his knees. He was becoming a father, right here, right now. He wasn’t ready for this. Months of preparation and he felt utterly useless.

“We should get him something to drink,” Prisha turned to Violet. “Can you see if Mitch is having any luck getting that vending machine to work?”

Violet nodded, walking over to join Mitch. From the sounds of his muttered cursing it didn’t seem like things were going in his favor.

Aasim felt a hand running along his shoulders. He turned to Clementine who gave him a sympathetic smile. 

“Everything’s gonna be OK, Aasim. Brody said there’s been no complications. Ruby got the epidural about an hour ago and she’s doing well,”

“Oh, thank God,” Aasim groaned. “Knowing that woman, I thought if I wasn’t there to tell her to take it, she’d-” He stopped himself, shaking his head. He shouldn’t doubt Ruby. His wife was strong, far stronger than him. She knew what she was doing. Shakily, Aasim lifted himself back onto his feet. He should go in there. He needed to be with Ruby. “I should go,”

A loud clank came from the corner by the vending machine along with a “Fucking finally!” from Mitch. He and Violet hurried over to Aasim, a Sprite in Mitch’s hand. Mitch held it out to Aasim. “Here. This’ll hydrate you and it’s good for nerves,”

“Thanks,” Cracking the Sprite open, Aasim threw back his head and chugged the entire drink. He hadn’t stopped a single time during his drive back. He was completely parched. The drink completed, Aasim lowered his head to speak only for an unceremoniously loud burp to leave his mouth. That caused everyone to chuckle for a moment, including himself. “Alright, here I go. What room is she in?”

“305,” Clementine answered. “She’ll be glad to see you,”

With that information in hand, Aasim made his way over to the double doors beyond which lay the most wonderful and terrifying moment of his life. His mind was in a haze as he searched for the room. Finding the right door, Aasim opened it.

Ruby was in the middle of a contraction, her face bright pink as she cried out, pushing as hard as she could. She was covered in sweat, her red curls plastered against her face. Brody was at her side, her hands clasped round one of Ruby’s as she gave encouragement. A nurse stood on Ruby’s other side, directing her to keep pushing. It was only once the contraction had run its course that the three of them looked up to realize someone new had stepped into the room.

“Aasim!” Brody exclaimed, running over and wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug. “Oh, thank God! When Ruby’s water broke at the Baby Angel boutique and you weren’t there, I assumed the worst and thought you wouldn’t make it in time. But you’re here! And Ruby’s OK and the baby’s OK-”

“Brody,” Aasim interrupted her, pulling away so he could look her in the eyes. “Thank you so much for all your help. For being here with Ruby. I can take over now if you need a break,”

The look in Brody’s eyes told that she needed one, but she looked back to Ruby uncertainly.

Ruby waved a hand dismissively. “Aaw, go on, Sug, I’m fine. Me and my husband have some catching up to do anyways,”

Brody nodded. “I’ll be back soon!” With that she was out the door, likely rushing off to tell the others the latest update.

Aasim hurried over to his wife’s side, taking her hand in his as his other reached up to wipe away some of the limp curls on her brow. “I’m so sorry it took me this long to get here. I’m never traveling while you’re pregnant again,”

Ruby snorted. “You say that like there’s going to be a next time. Let’s just focus on the baby we’ve got coming right this second for now. Then we-” her voice was cut short by a cry as the next contraction started.

Aasim’s eyes widened in fear. He felt Ruby’s grip on his hand tighten as she pushed. “You’re doing great, Ruby, just breathe through the pain just like we practiced,” Aasim demonstrated with his own pronounced breathing, taking short, punctuated breaths. “Just like that,”

“Honey,” Ruby gasped, her brow furrowed in concentration. “Just shut the fuck up for now, OK?”

“Alright, whatever you need, sweetheart,” Aasim looked over to the nurse who seemed to be examining something on the monitors. 

The older woman smiled gently at Aasim. “She’s doing great. You certainly married a trooper,”

“I did,” Aasim smiled proudly. “Do you know… is she… how soon?”

“It’s still going to be a while. First babies are usually the hardest. But we’ll get there. Just keep doing what you’re doing and everything will be fine,”

It felt like he was doing nothing. Ruby was doing all the work here. Aasim wished he could take all her pain and exhaustion and fear in this moment, but all he could do was cling to her hand and be there for whatever she needed. Everything they’d been working toward these past nine months was coming to fruition right here, right now. He couldn’t believe it.

\---

“Any update?” Louis asked Clementine, the phone still pressed to his ear. Violet was calling to check in. She and Prisha had headed home once the clock reached 3AM, but were still being kept in the loop on the baby’s ETA.

Clementine shook her head. “There haven’t been any nurses through here in a while,” She turned to look over at Mitch and Brody. Brody had refused to leave the hospital till the baby was born, so the two couples had decided to take shifts so that somebody was always ready if Ruby or Aasim needed them. Now Brody was asleep on Mitch’s shoulder, snoring softly. Mitch was still awake though. Clementine tapped his shoulder. “Want me to grab you and Brody something from the cafeteria?”

Mitch nodded. “Try to find something that’ll be easy on her stomach,” he whispered.

Clementine was about to stand up when the double doors opened and Aasim walked through. He was beaming as he walked over to the group. “Everyone, I would like to announce that at 8:47 AM this morning, Zachariah Emerson Laghari was born weighing 7 pounds, 3 ounces,” He pulled out his phone, revealing of a picture of his newborn for all of them to see.

The entire group burst into cheers. Louis hugged Aasim which for once he accepted, letting Clementine join in the hug as well. Brody was awakened by all the noise and immediately burst into happy tears as soon as she heard the news. She and Mitch entered the hug as well, all of them eagerly jumping in place until one of the nurses scolded them, reminding the group that there were other things going on at the hospital right now.

They quieted down but lost none of their excitement. Congratulations were given to Aasim and texts were sent to all the rest of the Ericson’s Diner crew to let them know the good news. They’d have to visit in shifts since there was no way they would all be allowed in the room at once. That was a problem to be figured out at a later time though. Aasim excused himself, disappearing back through the double doors to return to Ruby. They’d all head out for now, giving the couple some time to rest before they officially introduced their child to the world. It was a happy day for everyone. 

Aasim and Ruby were parents.


End file.
